So I have just signed up for a free online course - just one the first unit - excellent stuff. So I am examining Exploring play - which I think is vital for Drama.
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This is a good book to introduce students to some of the key principles of clowning. Gives a basic over - very simple terms. Could be accessed by Secondary students easily. Good outline of activities and theory behind aspects of clowning.
Key ideas:
Just finished reading -Devising Theatre - a practical and theoretical guide by Alison Oddey. It was an interesting read. She comes from the British system and what I most enjoyed was the insight into the way different groups devise. Good book for students researching devising and might be useful for the IBDP theatre course in the Collaborative theatre project when students need to look at different ways of devising. Also a nice section on practical ideas and suggestions. It is funny when you read these and people mention the theory behind the exercises and as a drama teacher I already had so much in my repertoire already.I have heard a lot about the Laramie Project. It did live up to what has been said about it. As a play it was a very easy read. It was my first introduction into Verbatim theatre. I like the power of the style and the way that you could put across so many different perspectives. It was also interesting to talk to a friend who is from that region and was at the University at the same time as Matthew Shepard. She had a different perspective to the storytellers. Powerful piece of Theatre which could be used dynamically with an IB Theatre class.
Just finished reading Barry Grantham's Commedia Plays. It was well written and it is good for students to have a format they can refer to in the beginning to help their devising process. There was a list of lazzi - I felt this was already covered by reading through the scripts. I did enjoy the link to the great physical comedies of the silent film era. Good book - must read his other one - Playing Commedia.
I have just been doing some reading on this for my Masters. Some really good articles that highlight the importance of Play in children's education. Here is what Daniel Pink thinks...
P179 Brain Sutton – Smith - professor Education University of Education- The opposite of play isn’t work. It is depression. To play is to act out and be willful, exultant and committed as if one is assured of one’s prospects. Homo ludens – man the player Humour is showing it self as an accurate marker for managerial effectiveness, emotional intelligence, Albert Einstein – Games are the most elevated forms of investigation Video gaming – big business P185 -John Paul Gee What Video Games have to teach us about Learning and Literacy Palgrave Macmillan, 2003 – p 205 “ Learning is about memorizing isolated facts. It is about connecting and manipulating them.” Pat Kane Play Ethic – Play will be to the 21st century what work was to the last 300 years of industrial society – our dominant way of knowing, doing and creating value.Right H Brain is essential for understanding humourP190 – P. Shammi and D. Stuss, Humour Appreciation: A Role of the Right Frontal Lobe, Brain 1999 vol 122 p 663 Humour represents one of the highest forms of intelligence. P 190 – the most effective executives employ humour twice as often as middle of the pack The importance of laughter. P 195 – can decrease stress hormones and boost the immune system Laughter links with social relationships – we rarely laugh alone Laughing creates more creative peoplewww.laughteryoga.org humour scale – tinyurl.com/6t7ff www.inventionatplay.org This a new book that I am reading - I think it has lots of interesting points
Pink, Daniel, H A Whole New Mind, New York, RiverHead Books -Penguin Group 2005. Print ISBN – 1 – 57322-308-5 P1 – The future belongs to very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind – creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers and meaning makers. These people – artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big pictures thinkers – will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joy. P17 1. The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body; the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body 2. L H is sequential; R H is simultaneous 3. LH specializes in text; the R H specializes in context – RH is responsible for understanding metaphors 4. L H analyses the details; R H synthesizes the big picture P28 Abundance, Asia and Automation P 51 three questions – 1. Can someone overseas do it cheaper? 2. Can a computer do it faster? 3 is what I am offering in demand in an age of abundance? P 55 more Americans today work in arts, entertainment and design than work as lawyers, accountants and auditors – “2002 National Cross Industry Estimates of employment and Mean Annual Wage for SOC Major Occupational groups” Occupational Employment Statistics Program, Bureau of labor Statistics – www.bls.gov/oes/home.htm P 61 aptitudes “the six senses”. Design. Story. Symphony. Empathy. Play. Meaning. P65 1. Not just function but also Design – must be beautiful or emotionally engaging 2. Not just argument – story – p 66 the essence of persuasion, communication and self understanding 3. Focus – symphony – seeing the big picture, crossing boundaries 4. Logic – empathy – to understand what makes their fellows tick, forge relationships and to care for others 5. Play – need to play – best bosses have humour 6. Meaning |
Catherine Rankin
Drama/Theatre/Dance teacher for 30 years; Currently teaching at International School Manila. Archives
November 2021
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